New New New !!

Hi Everyone, I have just joined ... have been researching a move via books and articles and have pretty much made up my mind to take this serious. I thought to rent for a few months ...... I have 2 dogs ... maybe one I can leave home.... both well trained. My idea would be to buy and live there permanently. It is the indoor/outdoor lifestyle that is most compeling ...... breathing fresh air .... affordable lifestyle. Right off, I can see the polarity between intown and noise ... and out of town but away from community. I do not think I am one for "gated" though, but quiet is sacred. Is it advisable to drive for just a two month visit ?? That is from North Carolina?? Time is not an issue ?? Anyway, I am pretty excited ...... I have a home here that I will sell ...... and just bring was I absolutely must have !! I salute the many women that have done this ....... alone. Karen

Re: [karamia] New New New !!

Coming down here for a couple of months of recon is a good idea. It will give you some time to really investigate the different areas and talk with people who have been here a while. Don't be too put off by all BS about "Gated Communities". Not all are like fortresses and many have just as many Mexicans living there as Americans or Canadians. Most of them are quieter than living in the villages, but village life has it's advantages also.

Bringing a car will give you more freedom to explore and it is a leisurely 2 day drive from Laredo. You can make it in one 12/13 hour day if you are a real road warrior.

From the middle of April through October is a good time to be here....fewer people and cheaper lodging prices. Most B & Bs will cut you a pretty good deal for an extended stay during the summer and fall.

Re: [Uncle Jack]Thank You !!

Hi, Jack ... thank you for your support .... I have lived in the Islands and on boats ...... so I don't think anything will shock me....... I am going to work really hard to get this place ready for sale ...... then I can think about coming down for a look see ........ there is a lot to read ....... I usually can quickly decide on what kind of environment I like .... i guess most people work with a real estate agent ???? where do you live ???? and how did you make the decision ....... I am glad to hear ""gated"" is not too sterile ..... Karen

Re: [karamia] Thank You !!

This is not the place to move if you seek "quiet". If you do seek "quiet" then you had best do your homework before you buy.

Mexicans do not value quiet and will think you are nuts if you ask them to hold it down, That is OK as long as you understand this beforehand.

Now, Nawth Calina is not necessarily quiet either. Nor is my native Alabama. Quiet must be sought to be found and even then may be deceptive. But here is what you need to know. If what you think is going to be a quiet sanctuary for you is not, in fact, quiet, you are screwed. Make your decision wisely.;

You see that attractive empty field next to the house you love? Isn't that nice? Zoning? I cannot stop laughing! You like it now, wait until the new cement factory moves in next door and goes, Flap,Flap,Flap!!! all day long. You are in for a treat.

Otherwise, this is a hell of a lot better place than Nawth Calina in Bubba's judgment and Bubba is very fond of Nawth Calina.

Re: [Bubba] Thank You !!

Jesus ......I had just finished a nice note back and lost it ALL ....we've some fierce winds here, today ........ now I wonder if I can recapture it all ........ I guess the essence of it was ..... can ""quiet"" not be found in the surrounding environs close to the city ....... I am not particularly a night person ... enjoying more day events, anyway ....... but then again I wouldn't want to be out, out ... and be ""unsafe"". It seems ripe for small enclaves to form that addresses these issues. Aren't the gated copmmunites ""quiet"" ?? And then again ,,,,,, I am only 60 and maybe I need some shaking up to do .... perhaps, one gets adjusted to the noise .... like airplanes overhead ... you don't hear them anymore ... OR .. maybe, you get used to earphones and an I-Pod 24/7 ... ??? The burning issue for me is .... living, indoor/outdoor W/O heat and A/C ... breathing fresh air ... I am not needy and keep myself busy with gardening, reading, writing, contemplative preactices and sculpting. I would like to afford a massage weekly !! Evening entertainment for me would be small dinner party at home ... on the early side. I am a morning daybreak person. I am going to e-mail this before the power jumps off again ...... Karen

Re: [karamia] Thank You !!

Every place in Mexico is not noisy. We live in a subdivision that is fairly quite. Ay least as quite as back in Florida. The more traditional places seem to be much noiser. They have houses that are fairly close together, cement or brick walls (the noise really bounces back and forth) and much more traffic. Then too the Mexicans usually get their gas, bottled water and some vegies from people with trucks who come by. They have loud speaker systems to tell you when they are coming. The Mexicans also have to put in long hours at work and that means getting up early. Lastly many houses are fairly small which means a lot more of peoples time is spent outside which sometimes gets noisy.

Having said this I would also like to say that to us noise was not a bother after the first few days. We lived in 4 different places here and some were noiser than others but never enough to make us uncomfortable.

Nothing here is like where I lived in Florida, less than a block from the FEC railroad and in the flight path of the airport.

Hi, Jerry

Thanks for the update ...... does the city where you live make a big difference ?? Is it quieter the further away you are from Chapala ?? I plan on bringing my Jeep ... what would be the drive time say from Cosala (sp??) to Chapala ..... ?? K

Re: [karamia] Hi, Jerry

The noisest places here as elsewhere are the ones more in the middle of towns or villages. You can bring your jeep but if you are asking do you need a jeep to get around, the answer is NO. The roads here are quite good. Well maybe a few potholes and " speed bumps" but not problem even for our old car.

Re: [karamia] Hi, Jerry

We live maybe 2 kilometers from the center of the village and it's pretty quiet. We've lived right in the village also, but if you spend a few weeks here you will get a pretty good idea of the lay of the land. The indoor-outdoor living style is wonderful. We haven't had a meal inside in the last month. Dinners back and forth with friends is the way it is here and us old farts all pack it in by about ten most evenings 'cause we all love the sunrises. Chances are that you will really like this place. Buena suerte! " let sleeping dogs lie"

Now that sounds perfect !!

Hi Ian .. thank you for jumping in .... sounds like the good life ... how bout you come here and take care of my 2 dogs while I go there for ""the look-see"" and take care of your dogs ... so the coldest we are talking about is sweaters ..... or more than that in winter ??? No heat needed ever ??? here it is first day of Spring and it will be 28 in the AM ...... it has just been too much winter for me. Now, summers here are beautiful and no need of AC . In many places ""couple"" life is different than for the single ...... we (my mate passed in 2000) had a Club life ..... but it is not the same alone !! I have simple needs. Breathing fresh air 24/7 is worth almost anything !! K.

Re: Help !!

I am computer illerate ... I tried to upload a picture but it is to big ...... can i send my pciture to someone and have them reduce it so it can get on the website ..... I don't have software that can do it .... maybe I do ...... but I don't know how to use it .....thanks I am attaching picture ... don't khnow if it will work .... I use a Mac I tried and it wouldn't upload .... maybe I can send it directly to someone ??? Karen

Thankx, Jean

Thank you Jean ...... another gal peeking in from Alberta, Canada got it done and you can see ...... I am now a face. So how would compare the lifestyles ... being in the city or not ?? The benefits / drawbacks. I definitely need a piece of land .... yard/garden ... so that may in itself may determine the answer and I have little need for a night life ....... so travelling will be done mostly in daylight. I have some arthritis ... so being close to the hot springs and at least weekly massages sound captivating .... what is six miles from town-to-town anyway ??

This is all so exciting .... I was a boat bum in my 20's ...... sailed a 30' sloop from NY to NZ ... this community reminds me of the primitive networking we did at noon on radios and when we finally got to port .... wonderful, wonderful people, always.

I feel overwhelmed a little of all that needs to get down ...... it would be so much easier with a mate ...... but I will not be daunted. Spring is just breaking through ..... so I've much work in the garden ...... must enchant the land for the next owner.

the temperature guage reads .....13.9 F. Is this winter ever going to end ?? No matter what ....... I will be there next winter ..... whether this house sells or not ....... have made up my mind !! My intuitionb tells me that this place will sell by Fall whihc will be PERFECT timing ??

Re: [sandykayak] Thankx, Jean

You took the words right out of my mouth, Sandy..."Midlife Mavericks" will serve as inspiration aplenty for any single woman (or man, for that matter) who decides to make a major change in their life, as Karen is. "Blue" and Judy King also publish a monthly magazine (available on the internet in electronic form) that is very informative. Don't recall the URL, but just hop on www.google.com, type in "Karen Blue, Mexico" and you should be able to find it. Buena Suerte!..........Dutch

MEN !!

I face the reality that there may not be another ""good"" man in my life ...... but i keep the door ajar. A good man is worth his wreight in GOLD.

Saying that, I also find deep admiration for those that engage a full and challenging life alone.

Being an introvert, I tend toward a more contemplative life ...... prefering one-on-one and small groups. Is life there as extraverted as it sounds ??? Does anyone ""hermitize"" down there ??

This group reminds me oF "'deep water"" sailing groups back in the 60's ... but then, **ALL** we had was ship-to-shore, dockside and good rum. We helped each other. it was pioneering, healthy and full of adventure ... I was young then ..... it is nice to know one can still access this spirit in themselves later in life.

WHO KNOWS ??? I used to be an extravert ?? Like Brad said, MEXICO really, really changed him ... MAYBE, I will become ""A Rooster"" !! Ciao

Re: [Uncle Jack] MEN !!

i hadn't heard of the "gone on Monday" bit (alcoholic was the 3rd thing) but that did remind me of ex-husband #2:

I used to call him "weekend willie" cos that was the extent of his involvement. I had two young kids and wanted a husband...so, after I nixed his "why don't we just live together?" suggestion we got married...and lived together for 10 months although we were married for 11 years and still see each other tho it's been 22 years since we met!

He maintains that I ruined a good friendship by insisting on getting married. Moral to this story is that if a man says he doesn't want to get married again...believe him.

and yes www.mexico-insights.com has some fabulous stories accompanied by awesome photography. another thing (that I keep forgetting!) is check out the articles and authors on mexconnect..there's a wealth of information there.

Midlife Mavericks is a good read for anyone who is contemplating the move as the stories tell about the good and bad (and some of the hazards of, say, remodeling a home) and expectations, not all met, of these adventurous women. Sandy Kramer Miami, Fla & El Parque